USAFRICOM: The Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy?
Abstract
The U.S. Government is in a unique position to leverage a momentous and historic shift in military focus: that it is now possible to mitigate the conditions that lead to conflict by working with allies and partners to shape the international environment and thus promote stability and security. U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) is the embodiment of this opportunity. Though American efforts to date represent steps in the right direction, they are nonetheless overly reliant on the Armed Forces and, as such, do little to alleviate the perception of the militarization of U.S. foreign policy. But the Government can mitigate and reverse this perception by implementing an integrated 3D (diplomacy, development, and defense) security engagement policy. In a statement regarding the military's role in Africa, the USAFRICOM commander refers to this "three-pronged" government approach, with DoD taking the lead on security issues, but "playing a supporting role to the Department of State, which conducts diplomacy, and USAID, which implements development programs." To implement the 3D security engagement concept and mitigate concerns over the militarization of foreign power, the Government must address key obstacles through bold reform and policy driven by national-level strategic leadership. To this end, included in this article are the four fundamental impediments to a practicable implementation of the 3D security engagement concept as it affects and relates to the demilitarization of foreign policy. Also presented here are recommendations for overcoming each obstacle.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA518757
Entities
People
- Dennis R. Penn